Dozens of people demonstrated in a northern Malian city on Sunday to push for an acceleration of the departure of the French "Barkhane" force, organizers of the demonstration and local officials told AFP.
"From today, Sunday, August 14, 2022, we are giving a 72-hour ultimatum for Barkhane's final departure," said the demonstrators, who presented themselves as the "living forces" of the northern city of Gao.
Gao is home to the last French soldiers in Mali, who are to leave for Niger.
Relations between the ruling military junta in Bamako and Paris have deteriorated sharply in recent months, especially since the arrival of paramilitary forces from the Russian "Wagner" group to Mali, which prompted the two countries to break after 9 years of continuous French presence to combat armed groups active in the region.
Pictures received by Agence France-Presse showed demonstrators waving placards with the phrases "Barkhane Arhali", "Barkhane, the godfather of terrorist groups and their ally" and "No foreign power can make Mali a spoil."